US9278747B2 - Outboard motor control apparatus - Google Patents

Outboard motor control apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US9278747B2
US9278747B2 US14/079,016 US201314079016A US9278747B2 US 9278747 B2 US9278747 B2 US 9278747B2 US 201314079016 A US201314079016 A US 201314079016A US 9278747 B2 US9278747 B2 US 9278747B2
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speed
engine
boat
outboard motors
predetermined
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US14/079,016
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US20140141663A1 (en
Inventor
Koji Kuriyagawa
Hajime Yoshimura
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Honda Motor Co Ltd
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Honda Motor Co Ltd
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Assigned to HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. reassignment HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KURIYAGAWA, KOJI, YOSHIMURA, HAJIME
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H25/00—Steering; Slowing-down otherwise than by use of propulsive elements; Dynamic anchoring, i.e. positioning vessels by means of main or auxiliary propulsive elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H20/00—Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
    • B63H20/14—Transmission between propulsion power unit and propulsion element
    • B63H20/20—Transmission between propulsion power unit and propulsion element with provision for reverse drive
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B61/00—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing
    • F02B61/04—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers
    • F02B61/045—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers for marine engines
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D41/00—Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents
    • F02D41/02—Circuit arrangements for generating control signals
    • F02D41/021—Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H20/00—Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
    • B63H20/14—Transmission between propulsion power unit and propulsion element
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H20/00—Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
    • B63H2020/003—Arrangements of two, or more outboard propulsion units
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H25/00—Steering; Slowing-down otherwise than by use of propulsive elements; Dynamic anchoring, i.e. positioning vessels by means of main or auxiliary propulsive elements
    • B63H25/42—Steering or dynamic anchoring by propulsive elements; Steering or dynamic anchoring by propellers used therefor only; Steering or dynamic anchoring by rudders carrying propellers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D2200/00—Input parameters for engine control
    • F02D2200/02—Input parameters for engine control the parameters being related to the engine
    • F02D2200/10—Parameters related to the engine output, e.g. engine torque or engine speed
    • F02D2200/101—Engine speed
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D2200/00—Input parameters for engine control
    • F02D2200/70—Input parameters for engine control said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
    • F02D2200/701—Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D31/00—Use of speed-sensing governors to control combustion engines, not otherwise provided for
    • F02D31/001—Electric control of rotation speed

Definitions

  • Embodiment of the invention relates to an outboard motor control apparatus, more particularly to a control apparatus for a plurality of outboard motors installed on a boat (ship).
  • the outputs of the outboard motors are controlled such that, when a rudder angle is made large for turning, a thrust of the inner motor is decreased, while that of the outer motor is increased so as to make the angular moment about the center of turning great, thereby enabling to make turning in a small radius.
  • An object of embodiment of the invention is therefore to overcome the foregoing drawback by providing a control apparatus for outboard motors installed on a boat that facilitates to make rapid turning or repeated turning about a same point.
  • this invention provides in a first aspect an apparatus for controlling operation of a plurality of outboard motors adapted to be mounted on a stern of a hull of a boat side by side and each equipped with an internal combustion engine to power a propeller through a power transmission shaft and a transmission having at least a forward first-speed gear and a second-speed gear and a reverse gear each supported on the power transmission shaft, comprising: an engine speed detector that detects a speed of the engine of a first one of the outboard motors situated at inner side at turning of the boat; a rudder angle detector that detects a rudder angle of at least one of the outboard motors including the first one and a second one situated at outer side at the boat turning; a controller that conducts control of the boat turning to operate the first one of the outboard motors to transmit a power of the engine to the propeller through the reverse gear, and to operate the second one of the outboard motors to transmit the power of the engine to the propeller through the forward first-speed
  • this invention provides in a second aspect a method for controlling operation of a plurality of outboard motors adapted to be mounted on a stern of a hull of a boat side by side and each equipped with an internal combustion engine to power a propeller through a power transmission shaft and a transmission having at least a forward first-speed gear and a second-speed gear and a reverse gear each supported on the power transmission shaft, comprising the steps of: detecting a speed of the engine of a first one of the outboard motors situated at inner side at turning of the boat; detecting a rudder angle of at least one of the outboard motors including the first one and a second one situated at outer side at the boat turning; and conducting control of the boat turning to operate the first one of the outboard motors to transmit a power of the engine to the propeller through the reverse gear, and to operate the second one of the outboard motors to transmit the power of the engine to the propeller through the forward first-speed gear, when the detected engine speed is equal to or smaller than
  • FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of outboard motors installed on a boat to which an outboard motor control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is applied;
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view showing the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 4 is a hydraulic circuit diagram schematically showing a hydraulic circuit of a transmission mechanism shown in FIG. 2 ;
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view partially showing the outboard motor illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
  • FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side view partially showing the outboard motor illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the outboard motor control apparatus conducted by an Electronic Control Unit of an outboard motor illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the subroutine of the control shown in FIG. 7 to be conducted at the ECU of the first outboard motor in the inner side;
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing subroutine of the control shown in FIG. 7 to be conducted at the ECU of the second outboard motor in the outer side;
  • FIG. 10 is a time chart partially showing the control mentioned in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 to 9 .
  • FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of outboard motors installed on a boat according to the embodiment of the invention.
  • symbol 1 indicates a boat (ship) whose hull 12 is mounted with a plurality of outboard motors 10 side by side, specifically two outboard motors comprising an outboard motor 10 A installed at the port (left hand side as the operator faces forward toward the bow; hereinafter referred to as “first outboard motor”), and an outboard motor 10 B installed at the starboard (right hand side in that direction; hereinafter referred to as “second outboard motor”).
  • first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B have the same structure, they will generally be explained in the following as the outboard motors 10 , unless otherwise mentioned.
  • the outboard motor 10 is clamped (fastened) to the stern or transom 12 a of the hull 12 , through stern brackets 14 and a tilting shaft 16 .
  • the outboard motor 10 has an internal combustion engine (prime mover; not shown in FIG. 1 ) and an engine cover 18 that covers the engine.
  • the engine cover 18 accommodates, in addition to the engine, in its interior space (engine room) an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 20 .
  • the ECU 20 has a microcomputer constituted by a CPU, ROM, RAM and other devices, and functions as an outboard control apparatus for controlling the operation of the outboard motor 10 .
  • the outboard motor 10 is provided with a transmission (automatic transmission) 24 that is installed at a drive shaft for transmitting the engine power to a propeller 22 and a power tilt/trim unit (hereinafter referred to as “trim unit”) 26 .
  • the transmission 24 has a plurality of gears including the first-speed gear and the second-speed gear and transmits the engine power through the selected gear to the propeller 22 .
  • the trim unit 26 is adapted to regulate a tilt/trim angle of the outboard motor 10 relative to the hull 12 by tilting up/down or trimming up/down. The operation of the transmission 24 and trim unit 26 is controlled by the ECU 20 .
  • a steering wheel 30 is installed near a cockpit (operator's seat) 28 of the hull 12 to be rotatably manipulated by the operator.
  • a steering angle sensor 32 is attached on a shaft (not shown) of the steering wheel 30 and produces an output or signal corresponding to the steering angle applied or inputted by the operator through the steering wheel 30 .
  • a shift/throttle lever (shift lever) 34 is provided near the cockpit 28 to be manipulated by the operator.
  • the shift/throttle lever 34 can be moved or swung in the front-back direction from the initial position and is used by the operator to input a shift command (switch command among forward, reverse and neutral) and an engine speed command.
  • a lever position sensor (shift/throttle lever position sensor) 36 is installed near the shift/throttle lever 34 and produces an output or signal corresponding to a position of the shift/throttle lever 34 .
  • a GPS receiver 38 is provided at an appropriate location of the hull 12 to receive a Global Positioning System signal and produces an output or signal indicative of the positional information of the boat 1 obtained from the GPS signal.
  • the outputs of the steering angle sensor 32 , lever position sensor 36 and GPS receiver 38 are sent to the ECU 20 .
  • a rudder angle sensor 40 is installed at an appropriate location and produces an output or signal indicative of a rudder angle ⁇ of the outboard motor 10 relative to the hull 12 .
  • the outputs of the rudder angle sensor 40 are inputted to the ECU 20 .
  • FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view partially showing the outboard motor 10 shown in FIG. 1
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor 10 shown in FIG. 1
  • FIG. 4 is a hydraulic circuit diagram schematically showing a hydraulic circuit of the transmission 24 .
  • the outboard motor 10 is clamped to the stern 12 a of the hull 12 , through the stern brackets 14 , the tilting shaft 16 and a swivel case 48 .
  • the trim unit is provided at a location close to the swivel case 48 and stern brackets 14 .
  • the trim unit 26 has a hydraulic cylinder for tilt angle regulation, a hydraulic cylinder for trim angle regulation and electric motors each connected to the hydraulic cylinders through a hydraulic circuit (neither shown).
  • the electric motors are driven by a tilt up/down signal or a trim up/down signal sent from the ECU 20 to supply a hydraulic oil (pressure) to the cylinder concerned so as to extend/contract the same.
  • the electric motors in the trim unit 26 are duty-ratio controlled (Pulse Width Modulation control) and a change amount of trim angle per unit time in trim up/down, i.e., the trim speed is stepwise or continuously changed.
  • the outboard motor 10 is installed at its upper portion with the aforesaid engine (now assigned by symbol 50 ).
  • the engine 50 comprises a spark-ignition, water-cooled, gasoline engine with a displacement of 2,200 cc.
  • the engine 50 is located above the water surface, and is covered by the engine cover 18 .
  • An air intake pipe 52 of the engine 50 is connected to a throttle body 54 .
  • the throttle body 54 has a throttle valve 56 installed therein and an electric throttle motor 58 for opening and closing the throttle valve 56 is integrally disposed thereto.
  • the output shaft of the throttle motor 58 is connected to the throttle valve 56 via a speed reduction gear mechanism (not shown).
  • the throttle motor 58 is operated to open and close the throttle valve 56 , thereby regulating a flow rate of air sucked into the engine 50 to control the engine speed.
  • the outboard motor 10 is provided with a main shaft (input shaft; corresponding to the aforesaid drive shaft) 60 that is rotatably supported in parallel with a vertical axis and its upper end is connected to the crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 50 , and a propeller shaft (the aforesaid drive shaft) 62 that is rotatably supported in parallel with a horizontal axis and its lower end is connected to the propeller 22 .
  • the aforesaid transmission 24 having the first-speed and second-speed forward gears and the reverse gear is provided at a location between the main shaft 60 and the propeller shaft 62 .
  • the power of the engine 50 is transmitted to the propeller 22 through the main shaft 60 , transmission 24 and the propeller shaft 62 .
  • the propeller shaft 62 is fixed to the outboard motor 10 in such a manner that its axis 62 a is substantially parallel to the forward direction of the boat 1 when the trim unit 26 is at its initial state, i.e., the trim angle is the initial angle (zero degree).
  • a valve unit 64 comprising a plurality of hydraulic valves to be used for controlling the transmission 24 .
  • the valve unit 64 and a part of the main shaft 60 is contained in a case 66 , and the lower portion of the case 66 functions as an oil pan (reservoir) 66 a.
  • the transmission 24 is constituted as a parallel-axis type conventional stepped ratio transmission comprising the aforesaid main shaft (input shaft) 60 , a countershaft (output shaft) 68 disposed in parallel with the main shaft 60 and connected thereto through a plurality of gears.
  • the main shaft 60 and countershaft 68 are each supported in the case 66 through a pair of bearings 70 a , 70 b .
  • the countershaft 68 is connected (coupled) to the propeller shaft 62 at its distal end (the lower end in FIG. 2 ) through a pinion gear 72 a and a bevel gear 72 b.
  • the main shaft 60 is provided (from the top in FIG. 2 ) with a main second-speed gear 74 nonrotatably supported thereon, a main first-speed gear 76 rotatably supported thereon, a first-speed gear clutch (made of a mechanical dog clutch) C 1 nonrotatably but longitudinally movably supported thereon and a main reverse gear 78 nonrotatably supported thereon, while the countershaft 68 is provided with a second-speed gear clutch (made of a hydraulic clutch) C 2 nonrotatably but longitudinally movably supported thereon, a counter second-speed gear 80 rotatably supported thereon and meshed with the main second-speed gear 74 , a counter first-speed gear 82 irrotatably supported thereon and meshed with the main first-speed gear 76 , a reverse gear clutch (mechanical dog clutch) CR nonrotatably but longitudinally movably supported thereon and a counter reverse gear 84 rotatably supported thereto and meshed with the main reverse gear 78 .
  • the first-speed gear clutch C 1 When the first-speed gear clutch C 1 is moved in one longitudinal direction, i.e., in the upper direction in the figure, for a predetermined distance, it coupled with the main first-speed gear 76 and engages (fastens) the gear 76 on the main shaft 60 to establish the first speed.
  • the second-speed gear clutch C 2 When the second-speed gear clutch C 2 is supplied with the hydraulic oil (pressure) from a hydraulic oil pump 86 (driven by the engine 50 ), it engages (fastens) the counter second-speed gear 80 on the countershaft 68 to establish the second speed.
  • the reverse gear clutch CR When the reverse gear clutch CR is moved in one longitudinal direction, i.e., in the lower direction in the figure, for a predetermined distance, it coupled with the counter reverse gear 84 and engages (fastens) the counter reverse gear 84 on the countershaft to establish the reverse.
  • the counter first-speed gear 82 is installed with one-way clutch 82 a that releases (decouples) the counter first-speed gear 82 from the countershaft 68 when the rotational speed of the main shaft 60 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined rotational speed while the main first-speed gear 76 has been engaged with the main shaft 60 .
  • the power of the engine 50 is transmitted to the propeller 22 by the main first-speed gear 76 and the counter first-speed gear 82 , but when the rotational speed of the main shaft 60 increases, the engagement of the counter first-speed gear 82 and the shaft 68 is released.
  • the first-speed gear clutch C 1 is connected to a first-speed gear shift actuator 90 through a shift fork 90 c .
  • the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 is a hydraulic actuator that can extend or contract and when it extends, it moves the first-speed gear clutch C 1 in a longitudinal direction of the main shaft 60 , while, when it contracts, it move the clutch C 1 in a direction opposite thereto.
  • the actuator 90 when the actuator 90 is supplied with the hydraulic oil in its oil chamber (for extension) 90 a , it extends and moves the shift fork 90 c and the clutch C 1 upwardly (in the figure). Moving for a predetermined distance, the clutch C 1 is coupled with the main first-speed gear 76 .
  • the actuator 90 when the actuator 90 is supplied with hydraulic oil in its oil chamber (for contraction) 90 b , it contracts and moves the clutch C 1 downwardly to a neutral position where the clutch C 1 is coupled with no gears.
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view partially showing the outboard motor 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 .
  • a forward shift switch 92 is installed and produces a signal or output that indicates the coupling of the first-speed gear clutch C 1 with the main first-speed gear 76 .
  • the forward shift switch 92 is installed at a location above the shift fork 90 c of the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 as shown in FIG. 5 . Specifically, it is fastened to an upper distal end of an operation rod 90 d that is connected to the shift fork 90 c of the actuator 90 in parallel with the main shaft 60 .
  • the forward shift switch 92 has a head portion 92 a at its lower side in the figure. Specifically, the head portion 92 a is provided at a position slightly remote from the upper distal end of the operation rod 90 d in such a manner that, when the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 is extended for the predetermined distance, the head portion 92 a is brought into contact with the upper distal end of the operation rod 90 d and is displaced by the same.
  • the head portion 92 a is connected to a connector portion (not shown) housed in the forward shift switch 92 and in response to the displacement, the connector portion produces an (electrical) ON signal or output.
  • the forward shift switch 92 outputs the ON signal from its connector portion.
  • the reverse gear clutch CR is connected to a reverse shift actuator 94 . Similar to the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 , the reverse shift actuator 94 is also a hydraulic actuator that can extend or contract and when it extends, it moves the reverse gear clutch CR in a longitudinal direction of the countershaft 68 , while, when it contracts, it move the clutch CR in a direction opposite thereto.
  • the actuator 94 when the actuator 94 is supplied with the hydraulic oil in its oil chamber (for contraction) 94 b , it contracts and moves the shift fork 94 c and the clutch CR downwardly. Moving for a predetermined distance, the clutch CR is coupled with the counter reverse gear 84 .
  • the clutch CR is coupled with the counter reverse gear 84 , since the gear 84 is engaged to the countershaft 68 , the gear 84 rotates with the countershaft 68 .
  • the actuator 94 when the actuator 94 is supplied with the hydraulic oil in its oil chamber (for extension) 94 a , it extends and moves the clutch CR upwardly to a neutral position where the clutch CR is coupled with no gears.
  • FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side view partially showing the outboard motor 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 and
  • FIG. 7 is a reduced sectional plan view of the outboard motor 10 shown in FIG. 2 .
  • a reverse shift switch 96 is installed and produces a signal or output that indicates the coupling of the reverse gear clutch CR with the counter reverse gear 84 .
  • the reverse shift switch 96 is installed at a location above the shift fork 94 c of the reverse shift actuator 94 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 . Specifically, it is fastened to an upper distal end of an operation rod 94 d that is connected to the shift fork 94 c of the actuator 94 in parallel with the countershaft 68 .
  • the reverse shift switch 96 has a head portion 96 a at its lower side. Contrary to the first-speed gear shift switch 92 , the head portion 96 a is provided at a position in contact with the upper distal end of the operation rod 94 d in such a manner that, when the reverse shift actuator 94 is contracted for the predetermined distance, the upper distal end of the operation rod 94 d is displaced and is remote away from the head portion 96 a.
  • the head portion 96 a is also connected to a connector portion (not shown) housed in the reverse shift switch 96 and the connector portion produces an ON signal while the head portion 96 a is kept in contact with the upper distal end of the operation rod 94 d .
  • the connector portion in response to the displacement of the upper distal end of the operation rod 94 d from the head portion, it discontinues the production of an ON signal and produces an (electrical) OFF signal or output.
  • the switch 96 it becomes possible to determine whether the reverse gear clutch CR is coupled with the counter reverse gear 84 .
  • the output of the engine 50 is transmitted to the propeller 22 , via the main shaft 60 , the main second-speed gear 74 nonrotatively supported on the main shaft 60 , the counter second-speed gear 80 , and the countershaft 68 , so that the second speed is established.
  • the counter second-speed gear 80 need to be engaged on the countershaft 68 by the second-speed gear clutch C 2 .
  • the counter first-speed gear 82 is installed with the one-way clutch 82 a that releases the engagement of the countershaft 68 and counter first-speed gear 82 when the rotational speed of the main shaft 60 is equal to or greater than the predetermined rotational speed. With this, when the rotational speed of the main shaft 60 is relatively low, the main first-speed gear 76 and counter first-speed gear 82 transmit the output of the engine 50 to the propeller 22 .
  • the output of the engine 50 is transmitted to the propeller 22 , via the main shaft 60 , the main reverse gear 78 nonrotatively supported on the main shaft 60 , the counter reverse gear 84 and the countershaft 68 so that the reverse is established.
  • the main shaft 60 and the countershaft 68 are not coupled together so that the neutral position is established.
  • the engagement of the gears and the shafts 60 , 68 by the first-speed gear clutch C 1 , the second-speed gear clutch C 2 and the reverse gear clutch CR is conducted by controlling the hydraulic pressure to be supplied from the oil pump 86 to the clutches C 1 , C 2 and CR.
  • the oil pump 86 driven by the engine 50 pumps the hydraulic oil retained in the oil pan 66 a through an oil passage 100 a via a strainer 102 and discharges a pressurized hydraulic oil from an outlet 86 a .
  • the pressurized hydraulic oil discharged from the outlet 86 a is supplied on the one hand to a first switch valve 104 a through an oil passages 100 b and to a second switch valve 104 b through an oil passage 100 d , and is supplied on the other hand to a first electromagnetic solenoid (linear solenoid) valve (hereinafter referred to as “first electromagnetic valve”) 106 a through an oil passage 100 c branched off from the oil passage 100 b and to a second electromagnetic solenoid (linear solenoid) valve (hereinafter referred to as “second electromagnetic valve”) 106 b through an oil passage 100 e branched off from the oil passage 100 d .
  • the first and second electromagnetic valves 106 , 106 b have spools stored there
  • the first switch valve 104 a is installed at the junction of the aforesaid oil passage 100 b and other oil passages 100 f , 100 g connecting the oil pump 86 to the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 . Specifically, the first switch valve 104 a is connected to an oil chamber 90 a of the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 through the oil passage 100 f , and is connected to an oil chamber 90 b of the actuator 90 through the oil passage 100 g.
  • the second switch valve 104 b is installed at the junction of the aforesaid oil passages 100 b , 100 d and other oil passages 100 h , 100 i , 100 m , 100 n connecting the oil pump 86 to the second-speed gear clutch C 2 and the reverse shift actuator 94 .
  • the second switch valve 104 b is connected to an oil chamber 94 a of the reverse shift actuator 94 through the oil passage 100 h , is connected to an oil chamber 94 b of the actuator 90 through the oil passage 100 i , 100 m , and is connected to the second-speed gear clutch C 2 through the oil passage 100 i , 100 n.
  • the first and second switch valves 104 a , 104 b have spools that are displaceably stored therein. Each of the spools is provided with a spring at one end (left in the figure) that urged the spool toward the opposite (other) end, and is connected at the opposite end to the first or second electromagnetic valve 106 a or 106 b through the oil passage 100 j or 100 k at the opposite end.
  • the first electromagnetic valve 106 a When the first electromagnetic valve 106 a is made ON (energized), its spool is displaced to connect the oil passage 100 c and 100 j and the hydraulic oil supplied from the oil pump 86 through the oil passage 100 c is outputted to the opposite end of the first switch valve 104 a through the oil passage 100 j.
  • the spool of the first switch valve 104 a is displaced toward the one end, and the hydraulic oil in the oil passage 100 b flows to the oil passage 100 f and to the oil chamber 90 a of the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 .
  • the actuator 90 is extended when supplied with the hydraulic oil in the oil chamber 90 a and moves the first-speed gear clutch C 1 upwardly through the shift fork 90 c.
  • the first electromagnetic valve 106 a when the first electromagnetic valve 106 a is made OFF (de-energized), its spool is not displaced so that the oil passage 100 c and 100 j are not connected and the hydraulic oil of the oil passage 100 c is not outputted to the opposite end of the first switch valve 104 a.
  • the spool of the first switch valve 104 a is kept urged toward the opposite end and hence, the hydraulic oil in the oil passage 100 b flows to the oil passage 100 g and to the oil chamber 90 b of the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 .
  • the actuator 90 is contracted and the first-speed gear clutch C 1 is at the neutral position.
  • the spool of the second electromagnetic valve 106 b is displaced when made ON (energized) and the hydraulic oil supplied from the oil pump 86 through the oil passage 100 e is outputted to the opposite end of the second switch valve 104 b through the oil passage 100 k.
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b when the second electromagnetic valve 106 b is made OFF (de-energized), its spool is not displaced so that the hydraulic oil of the oil passage 100 e is not applied to the opposite end of the first switch valve 104 a and its spool is kept urged toward the opposite end by the spring. Accordingly, the hydraulic oil of the oil passage 100 d is supplied to the oil chamber 94 a of the reverse shift actuator 94 through the oil passage 100 h . The actuator 94 is extended and the reverse gear clutch CR is at the neutral position.
  • the third switch valve 104 c is installed at the junction of the aforesaid oil passages 100 i , 100 m , 100 n connecting the second switch valve 104 b to the reverse shift actuator 94 or the second-speed gear clutch C 2 .
  • the third switch valve 104 c is connected to the oil chamber 94 b of the reverse shift actuator 94 through the oil passage 100 m , and is connected to the second-speed gear clutch C 2 through the oil passage 100 n.
  • the third switch valves 104 c has a spool that is displaceably stored therein.
  • the spool is provided with a spring at one end (left in the figure) that urges the spool toward the opposite end, and is connected to an oil passage 100 l at the opposite end.
  • the spool of the first switch valve 104 a is not displaced so that the hydraulic oil in the oil passage 100 l is not applied to the opposite end of the third switch valve 104 c . Accordingly, the spool of the third switch valve 104 c is kept urged toward the one end and hence, the hydraulic oil from the oil passage 100 i flows to the oil passage 100 m and to the oil chamber 94 b of the reverse shift actuator 94 to move the reverse gear clutch CR downwardly.
  • the first-speed gear shift actuator 90 is supplied with the hydraulic oil in its oil chamber 90 a , while the second-speed gear clutch C 2 is not supplied with the hydraulic oil, the main first-speed gear 76 is engaged on the main shaft 60 by the first-speed gear clutch C 1 , so that the first speed is established.
  • the reverse shift actuator 94 is supplied with the hydraulic oil in its oil chamber 94 a and is extended, the reverse gear clutch CR is not engaged with the counter reverse gear 84 and is at the neutral position.
  • the transmission 24 is selected or switched its position among the forward, neutral and reverse and any gear in the forward by controlling ON/OFF of the first and second electromagnetic valves 106 a , 106 b in the shift control.
  • the hydraulic oil pressurized by the oil pump 86 is supplied to lubricant-requiring portions such as the main shaft 60 , the countershaft 68 , etc., through the oil passage 100 b , an oil passage 100 o , a regulator valve 108 and a relief valve 110 .
  • An emergency valve 112 is provided at an oil passage 100 p that bypasses the first switch valve 104 a , first electromagnetic valve 106 a and third switch valve 104 c .
  • the emergency valve 112 comprises a manually operated valve that allows the user shift gears in case of emergency.
  • a throttle opening sensor 120 is installed near the throttle valve 56 and produces an output or signal indicative of throttle opening TH of the throttle valve 56 .
  • a crank angle sensor (engine speed detector) 122 is installed near the crankshaft of the engine 50 and produces a pulse signal at every predetermined crank angle.
  • a trim angle sensor 124 is installed near the tilting shaft 16 and produces an output or signal corresponding to a trim angle ⁇ of the outboard motor 10 .
  • the outputs of the sensors 120 , 122 , 124 are sent to the ECU 20 .
  • the ECU 20 and the sensors including those mentioned above (the steering angle sensor 32 , etc.) and the GPS receiver 38 are connected through a standard communication such as authorized by the National Marine Electronics Association, more specifically Controller Area Network.
  • the ECU 20 conducts, in addition to the shift control of the transmission 24 mentioned above, trim angle control to control the trim angle of the trim unit 26 , throttle opening control to control the throttle opening TH by operating the throttle electric motor 58 , engine control to control fuel injection and ignition timing of the engine 50 .
  • the ECU 20 also conducts control of the transmission 24 constituted as a Drive-By-Wire fashion in which the mechanical connection between the operation system (including the steering wheel 30 and shift/throttle lever 34 ) and the outboard motor 10 is cut out.
  • ECU 20 of the first outboard motor 10 A and that of the second outboard motor 10 B are connected with each other so that one can communicate with the other.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the outboard motor control apparatus, i.e., operation conducted in parallel by the ECUs 20 of the first and second outboard motor 10 A, 10 B.
  • the illustrated program is executed independently by the respective ECUs 20 of the first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B at predetermined intervals, e.g., 100 milliseconds.
  • the program begins at S 10 , in which the shift position is detected or determined from the output of the shift position sensor 36 . Specifically, the position is detected by determining which position among the forward, neutral and reverse the output voltage of the shift position sensor 36 is corresponding to.
  • a predetermined first value e.g., 3V
  • a predetermined second value e.g., 2V
  • the program then proceeds to S 12 , in which it is determined whether the detected shift position is the forward and if the result is affirmative, the program proceeds to S 14 , in which the rudder angle ⁇ of the outboard motor 10 relative to the hull 12 is detected from the output of the rudder angle sensor 40 .
  • the program then proceeds to S 16 , in which it is determined whether the detected rudder angle ⁇ (specifically the angle of either of the first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B) is smaller than a predetermined angle ⁇ 1 .
  • the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 is set to a value, e.g., 15 degrees to make it possible to presume whether the operator intends to make the boat 1 turn.
  • the program proceeds to S 22 , in which the engine speed NE is detected by measuring the intervals of the pulses outputted from the crank angle sensor 122 , and to S 24 , in which it is determined whether the detected engine speed NE is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first speed NE 1 .
  • the predetermined first speed NE 1 is set to be an engine speed (e.g., 800 rpm) normally used in the trolling.
  • the program proceeds to S 26 , in which the engine speed NE is decreased to the predetermined first speed NE 1 to mitigate shock in shifting. Specifically, this is done by retarding the ignition timing or by decreasing the quantity of fuel injection to be supplied to the engine 50 in accordance with a routine not shown.
  • the program next proceeds to S 34 , in which a timer is started to start time measurement and proceeds to S 36 , in which it is determined whether the value of the timer is greater than a predetermined time period T (e.g., one second) and if it is, the program is terminated.
  • a predetermined time period T e.g., one second
  • the program proceeds to S 38 , in which control on turning of the boat 1 about a same point is conducted, and to S 40 , in which the position of the boat 1 is determined or detected by the GPS signal, i.e., is determined from the output of the GPS receiver 38 and the determined position of the boat 1 is stored in the RAM.
  • the turning mentioned in S 38 is hereinafter referred to as “fixed-point turning” and the point is hereinafter referred to as “fixed point”.
  • the position of the boat 1 at a time of starting the fixed-point turning is determined from the output of the GPS receiver 38 and is stored in the RAM of the ECU 20 , and the operation of the outboard motors 10 A, 10 B are controlled in such a manner that the position of the boat 1 is kept within a predetermined range (distance) about the fixed point.
  • the position of the boat 1 at that time is determined from the output of the GPS receiver 38 , and the determined position is updated at prescribed intervals.
  • the boat 1 makes the fixed-point turning counterclockwise (when viewed from the above) so that the first outboard motor 10 A is the inner motor and the second outboard motor 10 B is the outer motor in the boat 1 , and that the turning is performed by changing the shift position of the first outboard motor 10 A to reverse and that of the second outboard motor 10 B to forward.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the subroutine of the control on the fixed-point turning illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 7 to be conducted at the ECU 20 of the first outboard motor 10 A in the inner side
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing that to be conducted at the ECU 20 of the second outboard motor 10 B in the outer side.
  • the program begins in S 100 , in which it is determined whether the bit of a fixed-point-turning flag is reset to 0.
  • the bit of the flag is initially reset to 0, and is set to 1 when the shift position of the inner motor 10 A is made reverse as mentioned below.
  • the result in S 100 is normally affirmative and the program proceeds to S 102 , in which the engine speed NE is detected, and proceeds to S 104 , in which it is determined whether the detected engine speed NE is equal to or smaller than the predetermined first speed NE 1 .
  • S 104 the program is immediately terminated.
  • the program proceeds to S 120 , in which the first electromagnetic valve 106 a is made OFF, while the second electromagnetic valve 106 b is made ON to change the shift position to reverse. Since the engine speed NE is decreased from the predetermined first speed NE 1 to the predetermined second speed NE 2 , the gears of the transmission 24 can be changed to the reverse gears 78 , 84 smoothly.
  • the program next proceeds to S 122 , in which the bit of the fixed-point-turning flag is set to 1.
  • the engine speed NE of the first outboard motor 10 A is controlled in such a way that the position of the boat 1 (detected by the GPS receiver 38 ) at the time of starting the fixed-point turning control is kept within a predetermined range about the fixed point. More specifically, since the center of turning of the boat 1 is liable to deviate from the fixed point or the radius of turning is apt to increase during the fixed-point turning is repeated, the engine speed NE is controlled to avoid this.
  • the program begins in S 200 , in which the engine speed NE is detected, and proceeds to S 202 , in which it is determined whether the detected engine speed NE is equal to or smaller than the predetermined first speed NE 1 .
  • the operation of the first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B are controlled in such a manner that the speed of the engine NE of the first outboard motor 10 A is equal to that of the second outboard motor 10 B, thereby enabling to return to usual navigation after the turning of the boat 1 more smoothly.
  • FIG. 10 is a time chart partially showing the control mentioned above.
  • the engine speed NE of the first outboard (inner) motor 10 A is further decreased to the predetermined second speed 650 rpm (NE 2 ) and the shift position is changed to reverse (S 116 to S 120 ), while the second outboard (outer) motor 10 B is shifted down from the second to the first speed (S 206 ). Then, the second outboard (outer) motor 10 B is controlled to keep the engine speed NE at a time of starting the fixed-point turning (S 38 ).
  • the gear positions of the first and second (inner and outer) outboard motors 10 A, 10 B are both at the second speed (the first and second electromagnetic valves 106 a , 106 b are both made ON (S 12 )), and the engine speed NE of the first outboard motor 10 A is equal to or smaller than the predetermined first speed NE 1 (e.g., 750 rpm), when the rudder angle ⁇ becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined angle 15 degrees ( ⁇ 1 ) at time t 1 (S 16 ), the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the first outboard motor 10 A is then made OFF at time t 2 .
  • the predetermined first value e.g. 3 V
  • the engine speed NE is decreased to the predetermined second speed NE 2 (e.g., 650 rpm) and the first electromagnetic valve 106 a is made OFF to change the shift position to neutral (S 38 , S 108 , S 118 ).
  • the predetermined second speed NE 2 e.g., 650 rpm
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the second outboard motor 10 B is made OFF to shift the gears from the second to the first speed (S 38 , S 206 ).
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the first outboard motor 10 A is made ON to change the shift position to reverse and the engine speed control is conducted (S 38 , S 120 -S 124 ).
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the first outboard motor 10 A is made OFF to change the shift position to neutral when the rudder angle ⁇ becomes smaller than the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 .
  • the first electromagnetic valve 106 a of the first outboard motor 10 A is made ON to shift the gears to the first speed.
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the first outboard motor 10 A is also made ON to shift the gears from the first to the second speed.
  • the second electromagnetic valve 106 b of the second outboard motor 10 B is also made ON to shift the gears from the first to the second speed.
  • the first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B are both shifted to the second speed and the operation of the motors 10 A, 10 B return to usual navigation.
  • the first and second outboard motors 10 A, 10 B are controlled in such a manner that their engine speeds NE become equal to each other so as the boat 1 to return immediately to a straight forward advance.
  • the embodiment is configured to have an apparatus (and method) for controlling operation of a plurality of outboard motors ( 10 , 10 A, 10 B) adapted to be mounted on a stern ( 12 a ) of a hull ( 12 ) of a boat ( 1 ) side by side and each equipped with an internal combustion engine ( 50 ) to power a propeller ( 22 ) through a power transmission shaft (main shaft 60 , propeller shaft 62 , counter shaft 68 ) and a transmission ( 24 ) having at least a forward first-speed gear (main first-speed gear 76 , counter first-speed gear 82 ) and a second-speed gear (main second-speed gear 74 , counter second-speed gear 80 ) and a reverse gear (main reverse gear 78 , counter reverse gear 84 ) each supported on the power transmission shaft, comprising: an engine speed detector (ECU 20 , crank angle sensor 122 , S 38 , S 102 ) that detects a speed of the engine NE of a
  • the controller operates the first one ( 10 A) of the outboard motor to decrease the speed of the engine to a predetermined second speed NE 2 set lower than the predetermined first speed NE 1 and conducts the control of the boat turning, when the detected engine speed is equal to or smaller than the predetermined first speed NE 1 and the detected rudder angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 (S 16 , S 38 , S 104 , S 116 , S 118 ).
  • the controller operates the second one ( 10 B) of the outboard motors to keep the speed of the engine, when the detected engine speed is equal to or smaller than the predetermined first speed NE 1 and the detected rudder angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 (S 16 , S 38 , S 202 , S 206 ). With this, it becomes possible to make rapid turning or repeated turning of the boat 1 about a same point more easily.
  • the apparatus further includes: a boat position detector (GPS receiver 38 , ECU 20 ) that detects a position of the boat ( 1 ) in a navigation course; and the controller conducts the control of the boat turning to operate the first one ( 10 A) of the outboard motors to regulate the speed of the engine based on the detected position of the boat ( 1 ) after the speed of the engine was decreased to the predetermined second speed NE 2 (S 16 , S 38 , S 122 , S 100 , S 124 ).
  • a boat position detector GPS receiver 38 , ECU 20
  • the controller conducts the control of the boat turning to operate the first one ( 10 A) of the outboard motors to regulate the speed of the engine based on the detected position of the boat ( 1 ) after the speed of the engine was decreased to the predetermined second speed NE 2 (S 16 , S 38 , S 122 , S 100 , S 124 ).
  • the controller terminates the control of the boat turning when the detected rudder angle becomes smaller than the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 and controls operation of the first one ( 10 A) and the second one ( 10 B) of the outboard motors to transmit the power of the engine to the propeller through at least one of the forward first-speed gear and the second-speed gear (S 16 -S 36 ). With this, it becomes possible to return to usual navigation after the turning of the boat 1 smoothly.
  • the controller controls operation of the first one ( 10 A) and the second one ( 10 B) of the outboard motors in such a manner that the speed of the engine of the first one is equal to that of the second one when the detected rudder angle becomes smaller than the predetermined angle ⁇ 1 (S 16 -S 36 ). With this, it becomes possible to return to usual navigation after the turning of the boat 1 more smoothly.
  • the controller controls shift position of the transmission ( 24 ) of the first one ( 10 A) of the outboard motors to neutral before conducting the control of the boat turning and after terminating the control of the boat turning (S 108 -S 112 , S 32 -S 36 ). With this, it becomes possible to facilitate to make rapid turning or repeated turning of the boat 1 more smoothly.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Control Of Transmission Device (AREA)
  • Control Of Vehicle Engines Or Engines For Specific Uses (AREA)
US14/079,016 2012-11-16 2013-11-13 Outboard motor control apparatus Active 2034-02-22 US9278747B2 (en)

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JP5880192B2 (ja) * 2012-03-23 2016-03-08 スズキ株式会社 記憶制御装置、記憶制御方法およびプログラム
JP6551880B2 (ja) * 2015-04-03 2019-07-31 日本発條株式会社 船外機のシフトアクチュエータ
CN105523164B (zh) * 2016-02-01 2017-10-24 宁波市北仑海伯精密机械制造有限公司 一种双动力推进器船只的转向系统及转向方法
CN107554275A (zh) * 2016-06-30 2018-01-09 比亚迪股份有限公司 混合动力车辆的移动电站和混合动力车辆
JP2019137278A (ja) 2018-02-13 2019-08-22 ヤマハ発動機株式会社 操船システム及び方法
US10766592B1 (en) * 2018-08-28 2020-09-08 Brunswick Corporation System and method for controlling a multi-speed transmission on a marine engine
US11358698B1 (en) * 2020-01-03 2022-06-14 Brunswick Corporation Systems and methods for synchronizing shifting across marine propulsion devices
US12215781B2 (en) * 2021-02-10 2025-02-04 Brunswick Corporation Systems and methods for shifting multi-speed transmissions

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CA2833441A1 (fr) 2014-05-16
JP2014100960A (ja) 2014-06-05
JP5836255B2 (ja) 2015-12-24
US20140141663A1 (en) 2014-05-22

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